Psychedelics, Culture, and Literature 

Psychedelic culture has transformed literary and visual work by adding figurative, symbolic, and surreal elements, offering new ways of self-expression. The psychedelic impact on literature is not merely a body of work that educates the public on their history, science, and culture but also a form of creativity and imagination shaped by the human mind.

This influence provided a space for people to reflect on political issues, often questioning societal norms and expectations, resulting in a new, accessible form of expression and pushing the boundaries of conventional literature and art. Not only did psychedelics have an impact on artistic production, but they also led to numerous cultural and social movements.

“Psychedelics influenced the writers to explore non-ordinary forms of mind and create works outside of conventional literature.”

― Aysu Naz Atalay, MSc

Early Influence: The Beat Generation

The Beat Generation in the 1940s and 50s, initiated by writers such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs, is the groundwork for later psychedelic movements. Although their artistic expression is not directly the outcome of the use of psychedelics, their interest and works significantly focused on the discovery of consciousness and rejection of societal norms, which might intersect with the ideology of counterculture and Psychedelia in the 1960s.

Literary works created in this era, such as Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (1957) and William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch (1959), were written in a surrealist and fragmented style while embodying the ideas of freedom and liberation. They were curious about Eastern mysticism and transcendentalism, which often appeared in their works. 

The Rise of Psychedelics

The Doors of Perception

Psychedelics influenced the writers to explore non-ordinary forms of mind and create works outside of conventional literature. For instance, one of the early works, Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception (1954), was a seminal novel that altered how people perceived psychedelic substances. In his book, Huxley descriptively shared his profound experiences with the psychedelic plant mescaline, the active compound of peyote cactus, diving deeper into human consciousness and interconnecting the psychedelic experience with artistic and religious insights. Huxley’s great focus on the altered state of consciousness reframed the understanding of these substances, as he vividly describes:

“To be shaken out of the ruts of ordinary perception, to be shown for a few timeless hours the outer and the inner world, not as they appear to an animal obsessed with survival or to a human being obsessed with words and notions, but as they are apprehended, directly and unconditionally, by Mind at Large – thus an experience of inestimable value to everyone and especially to the intellectual.”

― Aldous Huxley

LSD: My Problem Child

The most foundational text in the history of psychedelic literature is Albert Hofmann’s LSD: My Problem Child (1979), a memoir of his reflections after synthesizing LSD and having his very first trip in 1943. The text has scientific and subjective aspects of the trip, reflecting the drug’s therapeutic potential. 

“I was completely astonished by the beauty of nature. Our eyes see just a small fraction of the light in the world. It is a trick to make a colored world, which does not exist outside of human beings.”

― Albert Hofmann

Gonzo Journalism

The countercultural movement became visible during the 1960s and revolutionized many cultural productions. The effects have been continuous up until today. In the 1970s, journalist Hunter S. Thompson invented a form of reporting distinctive from traditional reporting, called Gonzo Journalism. The concept of Gonzo Journalism blurred the boundaries between the reader and writer, in which the author delved into first-person narration in a personal manner, in a stream-of-consciousness style that almost reflected non-ordinary states of mind.

Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971) is an essential literary work that rebelliously breaks apart from traditions and criticizes political and societal norms, aiming to open a new perspective for the readers. 

Psychedelic Culture: From the Past to the Present

Psychedelics in Literature: Early Influences and Mysticism

Psychedelics appear in literature in many forms, from experimental works to scientific knowledge. Their significance often shaped the cultural landscape, bringing together diverse themes. Mysticism and spirituality have long influenced the context of psychedelic literature, with many writers searching for a greater understanding of human consciousness and exclusively interested in ancient spiritual traditions and mystical practices.

While not particularly focused on psychedelics, one of the earliest introductions of indigenous traditions to the Western world came through Mabel Dodge Luhan (1879–1962), a writer and socialite interested in expanding consciousness and spirituality. She played a significant role in bringing indigenous traditions to broader attention. She often embraced mysticism and rituals in her seminal works, and her memoirs intersected the ideologies around spirituality and culture. 

Carlos Castaneda’s The Teachings of Don Juan (1968) explores methods for accessing non-ordinary consciousness through the psychedelic plant peyote and shamanic practices he learned from the teachings. The book introduced Shamanism to the Western world and highlighted its roots in ancient rituals and philosophies.

Literature: Contemporary Exploration and Philosophy

Another influential writer and poet was Mary Barnard (1909–2001). While her artistic work focused on spiritual and existential themes, she explored themes central to psychedelic experiences and their influences.

Ann Shulgin co-authored the books PIHKAL and TIHKAL with her husband, Alexander Sasha Shulgin, while focusing on the role of MDMA in emotional healing and self-reflection. Through these works, they shared the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.

More contemporary works delicately explore the history of psychedelics, such as Erica Dyck’s Expanding Mindscapes and Psychedelics: A Visual Odyssey. Similarly, Erik Davis’s Blotter: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium delves into the history, art, and design of LSD blotter paper.

Aside from appearing in ritualistic and cultural contexts, these substances also challenge the material worldview and are often the subject of philosophical discussions. Books by Terence McKenna, Ram Dass, Allan Watts, and Stanislav Grof integrate psychedelic experiences into their writings, interconnecting philosophy, and spirituality and focusing on broader definitions of human consciousness and experiences.

Film & Media: Psychedelics, Storytelling, and Consciousness

Psychedelic culture also has a profound impact on film and visual media, whether it’s style, narrative, philosophy, or sensory and visual experience. The movies that are often in the psychedelic territory are a projection of the psychedelics’ visual aesthetics and creators’ interest in consciousness, even without directly addressing or educating about psychedelics.

• The Trip (1967) is a psychedelic movie and one of the first depictions of LSD on a visual screen in which the narrative appears to be around a person who experiences a psychedelic trip. 

• The animated film Fantastic Planet (1973) is often perceived to relate to psychedelics due to its surreal, imaginative, and abstract style. 

• The Holy Mountain (1973) is another notable example of a cult surreal movie that embodies psychedelic visions while focusing on mysticism, spirituality, and altered consciousness. The movie intentionally uses visual symbolism, allegories, and metaphors. 

• Altered States (1980) is a classic cult movie with dreamlike visual themes that revolve around ego dissolution, altered states of consciousness, and hallucinogenic experiences.

• Another spectacular and visually immersive movie is Enter the Void (2009), where the thematic exploration revolves around life, drugs, death, and consciousness.

• Fantastic Fungi (2019) is an educational and visually stunning documentary that explores psilocybin mushrooms through a spiritual and scientific lens, how these plants connect with their ecosystems, and their healing potential. 

• How to Change Your Mind (2022) is a documentary based on Michael Pollan’s book, published in 2018. The documentary explores the therapeutic potential of psychedelics while focusing on a different substance in each episode and creates an open discussion. 

Final Thoughts

The list of artistic works and literary creations that relate to psychedelics is extensive since the cultural periods and individual experiences had a significant impact on mind expansion, and one can also recognize this through the use of psychedelics as they relate to creativity.

In summary, the ‘psychedelic mind’ has been interested in challenging conventional methods, expanding boundaries, and shifting the idea of what is considered a genuine artwork. Further, the countercultural movements brought many radical ideas embodying ideologies around freedom, individuality, and consciousness, eventually impacting modernist and postmodernist art, literature, and contemporary cultural dialogue.